11. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline plans to improve tourism in south-west Wales? OAQ51853

In order to improve tourism, we as a Government, of course, invest across Wales. In 2017, in the South Wales West region of Wales, which the Member represents, this included visitor car and coach parking at Rhossili; significant improvements to Fairyhill hotel, which I had an opportunity to visit relatively recently and to see the impact of those improvements on the visitor offer in being part of an area of outstanding natural beauty as they enjoy their holidays; the development of the Three Cliffs coffee shop; as well as help, I’m pleased to say, for that historic hotel, the Castle Hotel, in Neath—one of the most important hotels in the history of the development of sport in Wales.

Thank you for that clear explanation of what is important for my region and that of others in this Chamber. I ask this question because one of the main points of your economic plan is tourism and culture. We have seen in the Neath Port Talbot area that the local authority has proposed that cuts be made to the Cefn Coed museum, which is something that we would like to see restored and developed. There have also been cuts put forward of 30.6 per cent to Pontardawe Arts Centre, which is also important as a vibrant arts centre for that area, and for the Swansea valley and for Swansea and Neath more generally. How will these cuts align with the economic system that you have, as a Government, of promoting and developing tourism and the arts locally?

Well, tourism, of course, is one of the foundation industries noted in the economic plan. We as a Government are not responsible for decisions taken by local authorities on their budgets, but I do think that it would be very constructive if local authorities were to do what I had an opportunity to participate in in Carmarthenshire very recently, namely to have a lengthy and detailed discussion on the priorities of the authority, particularly where the county council saw an opportunity to benefit from the various schemes that come within the budgets of the department that I am responsible for, particularly those schemes that make provision for tourism but which also, similarly, make provision for local residents and visitors. So, I’m not going to comment on decisions taken by local authorities, but it would be much easier if local authorities were to discuss their priorities with the Welsh Government in these various different areas.

Minister, you started in Swansea, you went to Neath—come to Aberavon and see some of the fantastic sites for tourism in Margam Park and the Afan valley. Many mining communities up in the Afan valleys and other valleys have moved to tourism as an opportunity to actually look at growing the economy. We have projects in the Afan valley. I know the Rhondda tunnel is going between Rhondda and the Afan valley, but there is also the Afan valley project—the resort project that has been proposed. These are opportunities that provide local people with jobs and skills that we can use in their home place. Will you come and visit that site to look at it and to ensure that tourism can actually get a community to thrive and start developing itself, based upon the fact that it's actually had a long period where there's been a lack of growth in the economy because of the loss of those industries? 

Well, I can hardly say 'no' to you with you sitting there. [Laughter.] We are long-standing friends, obviously, as well as neighbours. But, seriously, I have been trying to visit as many of these sites as possible. I was in Cwmcarn recently, where I saw how the development of the relationship between the forestry, which has had serious problems, and the paths and the way the local authority can, by developing an excellent centre, get involved in the development of tourism, especially tourism based on cycling. I was also, of course, in my own part of the world at Coed y Brenin, which one might describe as second only to the Afan valley—[Laughter.]—as a centre of tourism and mountain biking. Certainly, I will come to the Afan valley, but I can only praise the efforts of all our mining communities, both the coal-mining communities, the lead-mining communities around where I live, and of course the slate-mining communities, which have all contributed immensely to the tourism offer now available, and I hope to be visiting Zip World and Surf Snowdonia and other of these facilities, none of which are now in the area that I represent, but not too far from the area where I live. So, I'm on the case, Dai.